The first of several phases of the restoration of the Windsor Castle manor house and outbuildings will be under way by year-end, according to Windsor Castle Park Foundation officials.

A project team has been formed to guide the multi-year effort.

The first phase, according to a press release from the foundation, focuses on the stabilization and rehabilitation of the barns, summer kitchen and other outbuildings, the rehabilitation of the exterior of the caretaker’s residence, moisture mitigation in the manor house and asbestos mitigation in several structures.

Future phases will fully restore the manor house and extend utilities to support on-site events. The realization of each phase is dependent on the pace of fundraising.

The work will be guided by design and rehabilitation specifications from Frazier Associates, the firm that developed Smithfield’s Historic District architectural guidelines.

Frazier Associates’ plans, foundation officials said, conform to U.S. Department of the Interior and Virginia Department of Historic Resources standards for the restoration of historic structures, qualifying the work for state tax incentives.

A five-member Windsor Castle Restoration committee has been appointed by the Windsor Castle Park Foundation to provide financial oversight and to direct the completion of the project.

Committee members represent the major supporters of the project. The town of Smithfield is represented by Amy Musick and Carter Williams, the foundation by Milton Cook and Martha Russ and Smithfield Foods by Cynthia Edwards. Williams has been appointed committee chair. Sue Ivy, chair of the Windsor Castle Park Foundation, is an ex officio committee member.

Roger Ealy, who served on the Smithfield Board of Historic and Architectural Review for 30 years and is locally recognized for his expertise in the restoration of historic properties, has been appointed project superintendent.